Manufacture of satchel bottom bags



Aug. 2, 1938. A. NOVICK MANUFACTURE OF 'SATCHEL BOTTOM BAGS Origifial Filed May 5, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Abra/7am Nov/ck.

ATTORNEYS Aug. 2, 1938. A. NOVICK I MANUFACTURE OF SATCHEL BOTTOM BAGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 5,v 1953 m Q Q m a Q g a.

INVENTOR Abra/mm Nor/ck.

% 9 ATTORNEYS n wt Au 2, 1938. O K 2,125,306

MANUFACTURE OF SATCHEL BOTTOM BAGS ori inal Filed May 5, 1933 s Sheets-Sheet 3 F I 5 Fly /3. I50

INVENTOR Abra/7am Nor/ck A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 2, 1938.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Abraham Novick, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to F. L. Smithe Machine Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 5, 1933, Serial No. 669,578

Renewed November 30, 1937 9 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of, satchel bottom bags and the like. It comprises an improved method manufacturing or folding such bags and also an improved apparatus especially adapted for the practicing of such method. The present invention is particularly designed for the manufacture of bags out of materials, the folding of which is difficult to control, such, for instance, as Cellophane, although it may be used in making bags out of paper of any kind. In the folding of the triangular indentations or creases which are folded in from the sides of the tubular web as the first stage in the folding of the satchel bottoms of bags, a difficulty is experienced in securing a proper fold where materials such as Cellophane are utilized and the ordinary paper bag making machines do not satisfactorily handle such material. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method and means of making these folds. Briefly this is accomplished by folding the primary folds between spaced plates which hold the upper and lower walls of the tube in position while the triangular portions are being folded in and positively assure the making of all folds or creases in their proper locations.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the following detailed description showing one preferred manner of practicing the present invention.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate diagrammatically one preferred apparatus bywhich the invention may be practiced. It will be understood, however, that changes may be made in such apparatus and that the method of the present invention may be carried out by different means. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the first section of the machine;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1, the cut-off mechanism and associated parts being omitted;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the second section of the machine;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a partially completed bag showing the same after the triangular cor-y ners have been turned in. This is the condition of the bag when it leaves the former plate;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the upper bottom flap folded back and gum applied to the flaps;

Figure 6 is an end view of the belt conveying mechanism shown in Figure 3, the bag being illustrated in a position about to enter between the belts and a part of a second bag being shown near the bottom of the belts;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a part of the former and showing the tucker blades in the position of having tucked the triangular corners between the former plates;

Figure 8 is a vertical section along line 8-8 of Figure 7, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the front part of the former with the bag tube thereon, the front of the partially formed bag being engaged by the feed rolls and the cutter roll being shown raised away from the bag tube and former, the dotted circle showing the position of the cutter roll when moved to cutting position;

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation showing a bag passing between the rolls which separate the flaps of the bottom;

Figure 11 is a similar view showing a bag passing between the gumming and scoring or creasing rolls;

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation showing the outer bottom flap being bent into position by the flap folding blade; and

Figure 13 is a perspective View of the completed and opened bag.

Referring to the drawings in detail, particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the web 20 of Cellophane or other material is fed from a roll 2| over a roller 22 and between a pair of rollers 23 and 24, the latter of which applies gum along one edge of the web. The web then passes over a narrower roller 25 and is bent down across each end of such roller by guide bars 26. The web then passes over a wide plate or former 30 under which the side portions of the web are brought together and lapped by the folding arms or guides 3| and 32. The edges of the web are lapped over as indicated at 33 in Figure 2 and as one of the margins is gummed an overlapped seam is formed and the web becomes a flattened tube with the seam on the bottom. The former is provided with side cut-outs indicated in dotted lines at 34 in Figures 2 and 5 and with a central cut-out also indicated by dotted lines. Opposed sets of three rolls each, 36, 31, and 38, each set of rolls being mounted on a single shaft 39, operate on the tube where it passes these cut-outs. These rolls operate to feed the tube and the rolls 36 and 38 also crease the edges of the latter while the rolls 31 operate to iron the overlapped seam.

The former 30 is mounted to reciprocate longitudinally. For this purpose it is supported on a standard 45 which is carried on a carriage 46 mounted to reciprocate on a track 41. The carriage 46 is normaliy held inits retracted position (left hand position as shown in Figure 1) by a tension spring 40 which engages a pin 49 on the carriage. At proper intervals the carriage and former are moved towards the right by means of a link 50 which is attached to the standard 65 at one end and at its other end to the longer arm ii of a bell-crank lever, the shorter arm 52 of which carries a roller 53 which is contacted by a cam 54 mounted on a shaft 55. The cam has a dwell 55 .which permits the former to stay in its rearward position during the greater part of the rotation of the cam. At proper intervals, however, the inclined surface 51 of the cam will engage the roller and force the carriage and former towards the right until the drop 58 on the cam is reached whereupon the former will be immediately retracted into its ieft hand position by the action of the spring 48, the former travelling at the same speed as that of the web 20. At its forward end the former is provided with a transverse horizontal slot or cut-out 60 which divides the forward end of the former into upper and lower former plates BI and 62 (see Figure 8). The edges of these former plates are cut off at angles of approximately 45 so as to form guide surfaces 65 over which the corners of the bag tube are folded when such corners are tucked in as will be described. The middle parts of the ends of the former plates are cut out as indicated at 10 so as to permit the gripp rollers to be described to grip the projecting end of the bag tube. It will be understood that the web having been formed into a tube about the former is continually fed forward by the rolls 30, 31, and 38 and at a proper point in the cycle the former itself is fed forward by the cam. While the former is in an advanced or advancing position the triangular corners at the front end of the flattened bag tube are folded or tucked in, such folded-in corners being indicated by dotted lines 12 in Figure 4. In the construction shown, this folding or tucking in is accomplished by means of a pair of tucker blades 15 which are mounted on vertical shafts 16 which are journaled in brackets E1 mounted on a carriage 10 adapted to reciprocate on track. 41. Mounted on the lower ends of shafts 16 are arms 80 carrying rollers BI which are adapted to be engaged by a cross bar 82 carried on the ends of arms 83 mounted on an actuated shaft 84. Upon the os cillation of the shaft 85 it will be seen that the cross bar 82 will engage the rollers 8| and cause the arms 80 to rotate the shafts 16, thereby swinging the tucker blades 15 from the position shown in Figure 2 into the position shown in Figure '1. This will tuck in the corners of the bag tube between the former plates BI and 62 as clearly shown in Figure 8. Springs 85 are mounted on the shafts 16 to return the tucker blades to the positions shown in Figure 2.. The carriage 10 is normally held in retracted position by coiled spring 81 in which position the rearward movement of the carriage is stopped by a lug on the carriage which comes up against a fixed stop 09. The carriage 18 is given a limited movement to the right at the proper point in the eye; by the engagement therewith of the front end of the carriage 45 when the latter is moved to its extreme right hand position by the bell-crank lever and cam described. Mounted centrally of the line of travel of the bag tube and slightly in advance of the tucker blade 15 are a pair of feed rolls 90 and 9| which run at the same surface speed as that of the feed rollers 36, 31 and 38. The rollers 90 and 9I grip the forward tip of the bag blank after the corners have been tucked in and advance the bag blank after it has been cut off by the cut-off means to be described.

The cut-off means comprise a roller 95 mounted below the plane of travel of the tube and a roller 96 above the plane of travel of the tube, the roller 96 carrying a cut-off blade 91'. The roller 55 is driven by a chain 98 and is journaled in a pair of arms 99. The arms 99 are secured to a rock-shaft 99a and one of them has an upward extension 99b which carries a roller I00 to be engaged by a cam- IOI mounted on a shaft I02. The arms 99 are normally held in position to raise the roller 96 away from the roller 95 by means of coiled springs I03, such raised position of the cutter roller being shown in full lines in Figure 9. The cam IOI has a tooth I04, which at a proper point in the cycle engages the roller IEO to rock the shaft 99a to thus swing the arms 99 so as to force the cutting roller into down position where it will cut off a bag when the cutter blade comes opposite to the rolter 95. The object of raising the roller 95 above the roller 95 is to permit the front end of the former 30 and the bag tube thereon to be advanced beyond the cutter at the time when the tucker blades are folding in the corners of the tube. After the end of the bag tube has been advanced until it is engaged by the feed rolls 90 and 9|, the former is retracted as described. When the proper length of the bag tube has been fed the cutter roll is thrown down and the cutter acts to cut off the bag at the proper iength.

To recapitulate briefly the operations thus far dscribed, it will be seen that the web of Cellophane or the like is drawn from the roll 2i, gummed at one edge and then folded into a fiat tube around the former with the lapped seam underneath. This tube is fed forward with the former towards the tucker blades. During this forward feeding the cutter roll is raised out of the way. As the front end of the former is advanced with the tube thereover the tucker blades 15 come into action and fold the corners of the tube into th recesses between the upper and lower former plate portions GI and 62, the proper formation of these folds being insured because the corners of the tube are firmly folded about the spaced former plate portions by the tucker blades which pass betweensuch portions. After these folds are made the tucker blades are retracted and the continued advance of the former with the bag tube thereon carriesthe tip of the bag tube into engagement with the rolls 90 and 9i which feed the tube along. During the last part of the advance of the formerfor in other words as soon as the tucker blades reach the bottom of the slot 60, the former carriage .46 engages the carriage 18 and pushes it ahead of it for a short distance. The former is now re tracted, the carriage 18 is moved back to its normal position under the influence of spring 81 and the cut-off roll is moved down and at the proper instant cuts off the partially formed bag from the tube. The partially formed bag is then fed by the rolls 90 and 9I into the second part of the machine which will now be described.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4 it will be seen that the bag now comprises a cut-off section of the bag tube having the corners folded in as shown in Figure 4, thereby providing at the front end of the bag a pair of pointed flaps I05 and I06 (see Figure 8). This blank is advanced by the rollers 90 and Ill along a table H until it is gripped by the ironing rolls II I and H2. From these ironing -rolls it passes between a second pair of ironing rolls H3 and H4, the roll H3 being provided with one or more suction ports As the bag H of well known construction. blank passes between these rolls the suction is turned on to the port H5 and draws the upper flap I05 into close contact with the surface of the roll H3 as shown in Figure 10. As the overlapping seam, of the tubular blank is at the bottom adjacent to the roll H4 the flap I05 is a seamless flap, and therefore maybe drawn up by the suction without danger of opening the seam as would be the case if the seam in the blank were adjacent to the roll containing the suction port. The lower flap I06 remains straight and passes between and is gripped by feed rolls H1 and H8. As the bag blank continues its travel the suction will be turned off on the port H5,

thereby releasing the flap I 05 which, however, is now in such a position that as the bag blank passes between rollers H1 and H8 the flap I05 will be bent back by engagement with the roller H1 and pressed down on top of the bag blank as shown in Figure 11. The bag blank now passes between a pair of rolls I and I2I. The roll I20 is provided with gummer pads I22 and I23 of well known construction and which may be gummed in any usual manner (not shown). The pad I22 applies a patch of gum I24 (Figure 5) to the upper face of the lower flap I06 while as the rotation of the rolls continues the gummer I23 will apply a patch of gum I25 to the flap I05. The roll I20 is also provided with a tucker blade I which makes a crease I3I in the flap I06 and tucks it into position to be engaged by a spring pressed gripper bar I32 mounted on a rotatable base I33 in a groove I34 in the roll I2I. The gripper bar I32 is of well known construction and is arranged to be moved by known mechanism (not illustrated) so as to pinch the crease I3I between the edge of the bar and the wall of the groove I34, thereby gripping the crease and temporarily attaching the flap I06 to the roll I2I. The continued rotation of the roll I2I will now draw the bag blank forward and carry the flap I06 around the roll. Owing to the crease I3I the tip of the flap I06 beyond the crease will tend to stand away from the surface of the roll I2I while the crease itself is still held by the gripper bar and carried around by the rotating roll. A roll I40 is provided which is mounted to rotate on an axis at the same level as the axis of the roll I2I and'eventually the upstanding tip of the flap I06 will conTe into contact with the surface of the roll, I40 and will be bent back upon the rest of the flap I06 as shown in the upper part of Figure 6. The bottom of the bag will pass between the rolls I2I and I40 in this condition and the flap I06 will be ironed into the folded shape shown by these rolls, the bent over part of the flap adhering to the body of the flap because of the gum applied thereto. The roll I40 is provided with a cutout I4I to clear the gummed portion I25 on the flap I05. The roll I20 is also provided with a creaser blade I42 which engages the flap I05 as the latter passes under the roll I20 and makes a crease I43 in the flap I05 so that the tip of the flap will stand out slightly away from the plane of the bag blank as shown by the dotted lines I45 in Figure 12.

Referring now to the mechanism shown in- Figures 3, 6 and 12, which takes the bag blank after it passes between the rolls I2I and I40, this mechanism comprises two spaced pairs of belts, each comprising a belt I and a belt I5I. These pairs of belts are spaced far enough apart so that the respective pairs will grip the edges of the bag blank at points beyond the corners I52 and I53 where the creases are made in the flaps I 06 and I05. By reason of this arrangement it will be seen that the gummed tip portion of the flap I05 beyond the crease I43 is free while the bag blank is being passed along between the belts. As the blank passes down between the belts means are provided for turning the tip of this flap over so that it will overlie the tip of the flap I06 and thereby seal the bottom of the bag. I have illustrated for the purpose of turning over this flap, a flap folding blade I which is mounted on an arm I6I, suitable means, not shown, being employed for moving this arm up and down in properly timed relationship with the passage of the bag blank. As clearly shown in Figure 12, when this arm comes down it engages the tip of the flap which is standing out from the plane of the bag blank and bends it down over the tip of the flap I 06. The bag is delivered from the machine with the bottom folded as shown in the lower bag in Figure 6, the plane of the bottom being parallel to the plane of the bag blank and the tips of both flaps being sealed down. When the bag is opened up for use it is of the general form shown in Figure 13.

While one particular form of apparatus is illustrated for carrying out my invention, it will be understood that variations in the apparatus may be made and that the method described may be carried out by other apparatus or partially by hand. For instance, the bag blank after being folded into the shape shown in Figure 4 by the use of former plates and tucker blades of any desired construction, need not be formed into the completed bag in the same machine as described,

but the bag may be completed by hand or in a separate machine.

I claim:

1. In a method of manufacturing satchel bottom bags, the step which consists in holding a bag tube flat and fully distended with its opposite faces flat and in spaced, parallel relation, and simultaneously folding in the corners of the bag tube between said faces.

2. In a method of forming satchel bottom bags, the steps which consist in folding a web into tubular form, holding opposite faces of the formed tube fiat and in spaced parallel relation, tucking the corners of the forward end of the bag tube into the space between said faces while maintaining the tube flat and fully distended, advancing the bag tube, and cutting off a blank length from the forward part of the bag tube having the tucked-in corners.

3. A method of forming satchel bottom bags;

the other forwardly projecting flap back upon itself, creasing the flap which has been'b'ent back upon the body of the bag transversely so as to cause the tip portion of said flap to spring away from contact with the body of the bag blank and bending said tip portion over into engage"- ment with the tip portion of the other flap so as to complete the bottom of the bag.

4. In a method of forming satchel bottom bags, the step which consists in positively holding the bottom flaps to shape while the forward corners of the tubular bag blank are simultaneously bent in as far as possible to form such flaps.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the folding in of the corners is effected in such a manner as to operate upon initially free substantially triangular areas at the forward end I of the tube and results in bending such triangular areas into the form of parallel pointed flaps at said forward end.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the'bag blank web is gripped and advanced during the step by which the corners are simultaneously folded in to form the bottom flaps, the tip of each such flap being free from engagement while the bag blank is gripped and advanced.

7. The method of making bags which comprises forming a succession of individual tubular blanks each with the corners at the forward end of the blank, folded in to provide opposed upper and lower, substantially triangular end tabs, advancing each individual blank uninterruptedly along a definite path with the tabs leading, yieldingly drawing one of the tabs forward out of said path to deflect it while positively continuing the advance of the other tab and the blank body, and then advancing the defiected tab after the undefiected tab while pressing the deflected tab down flat against the blank body.

8. The method of making bags which comprises advancing aweb of bag material, forming the leading end of the Web into a fiat tube, folding in the edges of the tube at the forward corners of the tube simultaneously between the faces of the tube, each through substantially a right angle, while maintaining the faces of the tube in spaced, substantially parallel relation, to form a pair of opposed substantially triangular tabs on the forward end of the tube, and thereafter severing a bag length from the tube.

9. The method of making bags which comprises advancing a web of bag material, forming the leading end of the web into a flat tube, folding in the edges of the tube at the forward corners of the tube simultaneously between the faces of the tube, each through substantially a right angle, while maintaining the faces of the tube in spaced, substantially parallel relation, to form a pair of opposed, substantially triangular tabs on the forward end of the tube, severing a bag length from the tube, folding back one of the tabs onto the blank body, and thereafter folding the tab tips toward one another and uniting them in superposed relation.

I ABRAHAM NOVICK. 

